As I said previously, this is something we could talk about...

As I said previously, this is something we could talk about forever, but as it is too far off topic I won't delve into it any further.

What needs to be clarified are comments that have been attributed to myself that have been taken out of context.

Firstly, as far as I know it is not a crime to join HC and make a post, so why the fact that I 'suddenly popped up on HC' would be an issue is beyond me. After all everyone who posts on HC for the first time suddenly pops up, don't they?

Secondly, I wasn't the first person to talk of AEB being a long-term investment, it was the executive management team. You have to give credit where credit is due. They have played a straight bat with investors from the first ball that was bowled.

Thirdly, a long-term holder is not interested in daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly (at least not in the formative years of chosen company) share price movements. As you stated yourself, 'you'll probably watch your holding diminish in value over time before it then recovers', as long as it recovers I don't care because any decrease in the share price is only a paper loss as long as you don't sell.

Fourthly, I take issue with the idea that a long-term investment means the share price of said stock won't increase for a long time. My definition of a long-term investment is something that will take a long time to reach its full value.

Finally, let me answer the following question: 'If something is not looking like increasing in value for a long time, why hold it in the mean time unless you enjoy reducing your net worth?'

Simply because the best way to make serious money on the Stock Market is to secure shares in companies that are exceptionally cheap compared to future earnings. You can wait for something to be proven up and to be recognised by the market, but by that stage the risk is that the share price will be out of reach of the average retail investor, so if you want a piece of the pie you'd better get in early.

We live in an age when people all too often can't see past the end of their own noses, don't even have the patience to wait in a line for five seconds and think that if they invest in a company then instant riches will be received and if they aren't then the company in question is a lost cause and the management team are incompetent. I'm not surprised given the 'I want it now and I wanted it yesterday' culture that we live in these days, but sometimes patience pays off and I think it will in the case of AEB.

This is a much bigger story offshore than most people realise and the outcome over the long-term might surprise a few people none-more-so than a particular poster on this thread.

I'm looking forward to that, but remember it's not going to happen overnight, next year or even by 2016. The true value of this company will be seen post 2020 IMO.